Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $1,009 a month against $1,099 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in La Serena despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

Jump to prices

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,099

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Serena and in Iquique

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in La Serena and in Iquique actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,099 in La Serena versus $1,009 in Iquique.

La Serena $1,099
Iquique $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,829 in La Serena versus $1,595 in Iquique.

La Serena $1,829
Iquique $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,559 in La Serena versus $2,181 in Iquique.

La Serena $2,559
Iquique $2,181

Living in La Serena is roughly 9% more expensive than in Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Serena 19% lower, Iquique 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 CLP 7,678

$7.52 CLP 7,405

3.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.89 CLP 47.1K

$40.89 CLP 40.3K

17.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 CLP 8,255

$7.09 CLP 6,979

18.34%

Cappuccino

$2.78 CLP 2,733

$3.45 CLP 3,400

-19.42%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 CLP 1,037

$1.24 CLP 1,219

-15.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 CLP 638

$1.02 CLP 1,002

-36.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 CLP 2,047

$3.19 CLP 3,141

-34.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CLP 3,844

$3.62 CLP 3,562

8.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CLP 1,197

$1.12 CLP 1,102

8.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 CLP 2,326

$1.17 CLP 1,148

101.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,448

$1.30 CLP 1,275

13.08%

Eggs

$3.85 CLP 3,793

$2.97 CLP 2,928

29.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.15 CLP 12.0K

$10.38 CLP 10.2K

17.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.89 CLP 5,801

$10.13 CLP 9,973

-41.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 CLP 12.2K

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 CLP 1,861

$2.30 CLP 2,263

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 CLP 1,733

$2.24 CLP 2,205

-21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 CLP 1,257

$1.49 CLP 1,466

-14.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 CLP 1,431

$1.09 CLP 1,071

33.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 CLP 1,128

$0.73 CLP 722

57.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 CLP 1,177

$0.58 CLP 574

106.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 CLP 1,010

$1.05 CLP 1,030

-1.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 CLP 863

$1.35 CLP 1,328

-34.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 CLP 5,138

$7.01 CLP 6,904

-25.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 CLP 5,100

$7.60 CLP 7,477

-31.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 CLP 1,992

$0.81 CLP 793

149.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 CLP 1,028

$0.68 CLP 666

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.03 CLP 35.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 CLP 697

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 CLP 2,041

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 CLP 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,394

$1.44 CLP 1,419

-1.39%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.1K CLP 19.7M

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$12.3K CLP 12.1M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$85.8 CLP 84.5K

$85.7 CLP 84.4K

0.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.93 CLP 10.8K

$15.04 CLP 14.8K

-27.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.68 CLP 20.4K

$23.18 CLP 22.8K

-10.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.9 CLP 82.6K

$50.1 CLP 49.3K

67.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.71 CLP 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 CLP 7,912

$6.87 CLP 6,764

17.03%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$251 CLP 247.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.49 CLP 42.8K

$30.07 CLP 29.6K

44.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CLP 60.1K

$22.86 CLP 22.5K

167.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 CLP 90.9K

$45.02 CLP 44.3K

105.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CLP 103.7K

$57.8 CLP 56.9K

82.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 CLP 417.6K

$413 CLP 406.6K

2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 CLP 311.1K

$394 CLP 388.3K

-19.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$899 CLP 884.5K

$690 CLP 679.5K

30.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 CLP 711.7K

$781 CLP 769.1K

-7.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 CLP 2.0M

$1,709 CLP 1.7M

21.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,319 CLP 1.3M

$1,902 CLP 1.9M

-30.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$698 CLP 687.3K

$934 CLP 919.7K

-25.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

7.5

-13.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for La Serena: October 18, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$316 28.8%

Iquique

$394 39.1% 24.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$232 21.1%

Iquique

$199 * 19.7% 14.5% $34

Eating Out

La Serena

$146 13.3%

Iquique

$155 15.4% 6.3% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$136 12.4%

Iquique

$70 7% 48.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$117 10.7%

Iquique

$124 12.3% 5.5% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$100 9.1%

Iquique

$64 6.3% 36.2% $36

Getting Around

La Serena

$51 4.7%

Iquique

$2.7 * 0.3% 94.7% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $424 in La Serena and $413 in Iquique. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iquique pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in La Serena vs $41.00 in Iquique for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $199 per month, with Iquique cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

Same time as La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

188,003

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

La Serena Iquique 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
Iquique

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

La Serena vs Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Serena and Iquique differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,099 vs $1,009 including rent). Iquique is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Iquique. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $424 in La Serena versus $413 in Iquique. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Iquique – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $48.00 in La Serena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,099 per month in La Serena versus $1,009 in Iquique – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,009 in Iquique versus $1,099 in La Serena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iquique but tight or insufficient in La Serena. The gap between the two cities makes Iquique the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Iquique gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in La Serena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.